Resistance of the African ( Clarias gariepinus) and the Asian catfish ( Clarias batrachus) to channel catfish virus

Abstract

Resistance of Dutch stocks of African ( Clarias gariepinus) and Asian catfish ( Clarias batrachus) to channel catfish virus (CCV) was tested. Replicate groups of catfish larvae were challenged by immersion in water containing 10 5, 10 4 and 10 3 TCID 50 (50% tissue culture infective dose endpoint)/ml of CCV. One group of each catfish species was not challenged and served as a control group. Morbidity and mortality were compared to those of simultaneously challenged groups of larvae of a third species of catfish, the channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus). The results strongly suggest that CCV should not be considered a major threat to established cultured populations of African and Asian catfish in The Netherlands.